Cookbooks

[huntertrw]

As an avid reader I have built a rather substantial personal library over the years. My favorite genres include hunting and fishing stories (lots of those), Civil War history, essays, speculative fiction (especially Ray Bradbury's), poetry, the novels of Nevil Schute, biography, beekeeping, and, perhaps strangely, cookbooks. I love to read old cookbooks, particularly those with recipes from New England and the American South.

Today, while perusing a local used bookstore, I came across a cookbook that I simply could not resist. It is titled 'Charleston Receipts (sic)" and was published by the Junior League of Charleston, (SC) Inc. in 1956. Leafing through its pages makes my mouth water. For instance, it has a whole chapter dedicated to dishes incorporating hominy (these days a little-known or appreciated vegetable that I love).. How about a receipt (sic) for Ham Loaf? It's in here, too. Pages and pages of forgotten favorites, and potential new ones. Provender for the belly and for the soul.

Does anyone here have this same cookbook mania?

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

We have a lot of them, nothing all that historical but some old Methodist this or that ladies group and so forth or auxiliary this of that have made their way through the family to us that have some good old comfort food.

My sister has one like you are describing from Chattanooga that's pretty darn old. Borrowed once just because it was a fun read and some interesting recipes for the time it was published. The main take was all the oven temps were described with terms like "medium speed" - okay then.

 

[Brad H]

there is a youtube channel called "Townsends" that does a lot of those old forgotten recipes. He occasionally cites old cookbooks. His best video is on "how to bake an onion" from an old paper cookbook he found somewhere, which brings up the question of who had to write down the recipe on how to bake an onion.
You should check out his channel if you're into those old cookbooks.

the extent of my cookbook knowledge is "The anarchist cookbook" and Popeyes fried chicken.

 

[prairiedruid]

Tasting History with Max Miller is another great youtube channel for recipes and the history behind them.

 

[JackOrion]

Yup. Cookbooks and Fly Fishing books are what I keep in my collection along with some select fictional and art books. Cookbooks are definitely the bulk of it though. I like books that cover a specific topic. For example beans or chicken etc. Or a type of dish, say Chilies, sandwiches or braises and even better if they focus on a particular ethnic region. I have some ‘Paula’s down home cooking’ type of books that cover an array of dishes, but I’ve focused on building more of a reference type of library. Lots of technique books, the more specific the better. For instance the general topic of preserving, I’m after a book specifically on pickling and another on canning then smoking or fermenting and so on. Usually there’s some overlap in techniques. The more specific the more likely I’m to add it to my dwindling shelf space.

 

[Dave760]

A friend's mother collected cookbooks. When she passed away there were about 1,100 including a bunch of those published by small organizations (churches, social clubs, etc.). Thankfully there was someone who wanted them so the collection stayed together. But I can't tell you how many times over the decades she'd hand me a cookbook and I'd be amazed at what I'd see.

I own exactly...let me think...zero cookbooks. My ex-wives saw to that.

 

[shanez]

Not that mania exactly but I have a number of cookbooks from small towns decades ago where the recipes were submitted by little old ladies from very rural areas.

Many of the recipes aren't much but there are a few absolute gems that couldn't be recreated with modern chemistry.

 

[Servant King]

I enjoy old cookbooks, the older the better. Our local thrift store always has plenty of them around, but with storage space in short supply (and being an inherent minimalist), I always maintain a degree of restraint. Two favorites I couldn't help but snag were from the Sunset Book & Magazine company, both circa my birth year (1985), Holiday Recipes (spelled correctly), and Homemade Soups. The photos are especially noteworthy; the prevalence of holiday guests clad in plaid pants and sporting mustaches belie the publication dates by at least a handful of years. I can only imagine how much blow was cumulatively snorted after-hours on the depicted occasions...

 

[mawnansmiff]

Does anyone here have this same cookbook mania?

I wouldn't say I am manic about cookery books per se but I am rather manic about antiquarian books in general (mostly history, geography, known sciences of the time including medicine etc) but I do have in my collection an early 18th century cookbook or as it is called 'A Book Of Household Receipts' or something similar.

It has some fascinating receipts (recipes) such as turtle dove pie, starling pie and a whole host of stuff I would never dream of eating but I recall it was a great read just from a historical perspective.

Another, somewhat later volume (1813) is just as fascinating and a great insight into how much time and effort was spent back in the day to prepare one's meals......often with cookery staff. Here is 'Modern Practical Cookery' by a Mrs. Nourse.





My personal go to cookbook would of course be our very own Delia Smith's Cookbook

Jay.

EDIT: I should point out 'receipt' was used back in the day for our modern day recipe.

 

[huntertrw]

It has some fascinating receipts (recipes) such as...starling pie...

Does that one require the four-and-twenty birds mentioned in the "Sing a Song of Sixpence" nursery rhyme?

 

[mawnansmiff]

Does that one require the four-and-twenty birds mentioned in the "Sing a Song of Sixpence" nursery rhyme?

I believe they were blackbirds but I'm sure starlings would do at a pinch .
I seem to remember a recipe for cooking a sheep's head and another for a calves' head .

I'll stick to beans on toast.....much safer with that.

Jay.

 

[huntertrw]

mawnansmiff:

Interestingly, my new/old "Charleston Receipts" cookbook has a recipe for baked calf's head. I believe that I will pass on that one, thank-you!